LHASA, June 15: Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Regional government has reiterated to further deepen its ties with South Asian countries including Nepal under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative.

While delivering a keynote speech at the inaugural session of the 2019 Forum on the Development of Tibet in Lhasa on Friday, chairman of the regional government Qizhala said that the regional government will pursue international cooperation under the framework of the BRI. He said that the regional government has given high priority to its relationship with Nepal.

Qizhala said that China is keep to further promote the building of the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network with Nepal. China and Nepal are true friends and neighbors linked by rivers and mountains, he said. "The regional government will actively engage itself in the building of the Himalayan economic cooperation belt and the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor," said he. A set of measures will be adopted by the region to promote international cooperation, according to Qizhala.

"Tibet will work to better align its development with that of its neighbors, improve the economic and trade coordination mechanism between itself and South Asian countries and explore to build a multilateral cooperation mechanism for jointly building the Belt and Road," he said.

Qizhala also vowed to improve infrastructure connectivity, saying that Tibet will actively promote the building of the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Earlier in April, a joint communiqué issued after the Second Belt and Road Forum had incorporated Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network including Nepal-China cross-border railway.

While Nepal had long been negotiating with China to develop cross-country railway line to end Nepal's sole dependence with India, the two countries agreed to set up Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network during Prime Minister KP Oli's visit to China in June 2018.

Tibet to deepen economic, trade cooperation with South Asia

At the same time, Tibet will further improve its ports and clearance efficiency in order to facilitate economic and trade cooperation with South Asian countries, Qizhala said during the event.

"It will also expand market access for foreign investment and support foreign investment to set up payment institutions in Tibet," Qizhala said. Moreover, Qizhala said Tibet will deepen international cultural and people-to-people exchanges and intensify international cooperation in terms of science, education, culture and health.

The region is also willing to share its experience with its neighbors in terms of environmental protection and natural disasters prevention, the chairman said. Xinhua has quoted the statistics which show that Tibet saw its total import and export volume reach 4.8 billion yuan (about 693 million U.S. dollars) in 2018. Enterprises in the region invested a total of 280 million U.S. dollars in Belt and Road countries.

This year, Tibet celebrates the 60th anniversary of democratic reform that abolished serfdom. Qizhala said during the past 60 years, "the poor and backward old Tibet was transformed into a new Tibet featuring economic and cultural prosperity, all-round social progress, a good ecological environment and happiness of the people."

The one-day 2019 Forum on the Development of Tibet was held in Lhasa, the capital of Tibetan Autonomous Region of China. The forum organized by the State Council Information Office and the people's government of Tibet Autonomous Region, witnessed the participation of nearly 160 scholars and officials from 37 countries and regions.

 
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